Pokémon: World Edition!
by White Fedora
Summary: "I want you to go on a journey." It has been almost a year since Loki, Peter, Hana, and Soini Oxenstierna's parents and uncles left to fight the rising threat of Team Passion. They haven't been heard from since, though the Team has been disbanded. When the kids meet the Unova Pokémon professor, they decide to go on a journey of their own. *OCsv mild violence! All gen Pokémon used.
1. Prologue

"_Milotic, Hydro Pump!"_

"_Mienshao, dodge it!"_

"_Houndoom, finish off with Flamethrower!"_

"_Reuniclus! Thunder!"_

"_Frosslass, use Ice Shard."_

"_Chandelure, Fire Blast!"_

"…_Flygon. Use Earth Power."_

"_Liepard, Night Slash!"_

* * *

Quiet. The sounds of battle were subsiding as one man's soft, tapping footsteps echoed through the Champion's room. A Delibird was out and about, walking alongside his trainer, who kept silent in his thoughts.

The two soon approached another figure, squatting on a chair and looking to be meditating. Almost not wanting to intrude, the trainer waited a minute before clearing his throat. Otho the Unova Champion opened his fierce blue eyes and looked up, long blonde hair waving slightly.

"I've come to challenge you."

Otho's face remained stony as he rose from his position on the chair. He straightened his back a little, studying the challenger quietly.

"I've been waiting." He said. He pulled a Poké ball from his belt and tossed it almost carelessly. As it sailed through the air, a white flash starting to light up the crack, wide, bright spotlights threw the battle arena into view. Blinding yellow light flashed down onto the field, a sharp navy blue color in contrast to the white walls.

Caught by surprise, the trainer took a step back and watched as the Poké ball broke open and a huge shape started to form. A Bouffalant appeared from the light and reared up onto its hind legs, letting out a roaring bellow.

Gritting his teeth, the challenger looked at his Delibird and nodded. "Delibird, go!" he commanded.

Nodding, the bird used one wing to flap into its position and hefted its bag, glaring determinedly at its opponent.

The two trainers took a moment to prepare themselves before they shouted their commands.

"Wild Charge!"

"Present!"

* * *

An hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

A victor.

Both trainers' chests heaved as a Druddigon spiraled out of the air and landed on the ground, knocked out. An Ampharos stood, doubled over from the exertion, but it was smiling triumphantly. Its sphere, which had been sparked into a brilliant yellow color, was dwindling back to its usual amber glow.

"Druddigon is unable to battle! Ampharos wins, making the challenger victorious!" the referee shouted.

Otho's face cracked into the tiniest of smiles as he called his Druddigon back to its Poké ball. "…well done." He murmured to it.

He pocketed the ball and turned to his opponent, who was hugging his Ampharos tightly.

"Your Pokémon battles well." He commented, "The bond you share is strong. The Four could sense it as well, with your friends who came here today."

"We've traveled very far together," the challenger said softly, "we've been through a lot."

"I know." Otho said, crouching down and pulling an Oran berry from his pocket. He fed it to Ampharos and looked at the younger trainer. "I've heard many things about you; earning your Gym Badges, traveling around the world, and ridding Unova of Team Passion as well. You've seen and done much."

The younger trainer remained silent.

"And now…I must ask you to do one more thing." Otho said.

"What's that?" the other asked.

Otho motioned him to follow and led him out to a large balcony. A cool breeze blew up the mountainside and the trainer looked out, amazed at the Swanna, Pidgeots, and all manner of bird Pokemon taking to the skies. The sun was going down now, setting the sky on fire with a breathtaking mix of reds and golds.

Otho smiled a little. "Ja, it _is _very beautiful…but what I am going to ask is very important."

The younger man gave him his attention.

"The Four and I have been here for many years. We have seen many things as well, and faced many, many more opponents than you have. However, out of all of those trainers, only you and your friends had what we were looking for." Otho said.

The trainer looked at him inquisitively.

"Compassion." Otho told him simply, "Your love for your Pokemon is plain to see; we all noticed it. Your kindness and loyalty to your Pokemon is rivaled only by their love and loyalty for you."

The other stood a while in thought before replying, "…I love them dearly…but why are you telling me this?"

Otho sighed, his breath that of an old man's. His eyes seemed to age as he leaned against the balcony rail and looked out at the scenery.

"Because…it is time for the Four and me to leave the League; and, in our place, we wish you and your friends to take over. You, however, will be replacing me." He told him.

The younger trainer stood dumb, taken aback. He turned and gazed down the side of the mountain, biting his lip as he was faced by this. He didn't offer a reply.

"…I can see you need to think this over." Otho observed, "Do not worry, though. We can accommodate for you and your friends here in the League. You can speak with your friends in the room we have set up."

He turned and left then, leaving the other to think.

_ Him…a Champion?_

* * *

The next morning, Otho and the Elite Four waited in the lobby of the League. They were gathered for either a welcome, or a goodbye.

They were soon joined by their visitors, all dressed up despite the early hours. Otho's attention was drawn to the Delibird who was once again marching up alongside his trainer.

"We've talked about it…" the Delibird's trainer began.

Otho and the Four looked expectant. The other five's eyes shone with determination and excitement as their spokesperson gave their reply.

"…and we accept."

* * *

**Feel free to guess who's who...but I reveal no secrets.**


	2. Letter from Opelucid

"Peter, stop!" a girl's voice floated out over the quiet lawns of Aspertia City. Two kids chased each other over the bright, dewy grass, their laughter floating out over the sleepy village. Two other figures ambled along slowly after them, one hunched and quiet, and the other contentedly picking flowers.

"Can't catch me, Hana!" a young boy, about twelve, laughed. He sped off again, eluding his sister and sending his puffy sailor's hat spinning off his head. He turned to retrieve it but Hana had grabbed the hat, put it on, and dashed off to another part of the town.

"You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" she sang, running past the other two children, Peter in hot pursuit.

The tallest of the group looked after his brother and sister and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. The younger child next to him laughed, watching them.

"Loki, how come you never play anymore?" he inquired, looking up.

Loki looked down at him and shrugged, his green eyes downcast. "No time anymore. You're all a handful, you know."

He glanced at his watch and added, "Soini, why don't you go play too? I've got to go do some things."

Soini nodded and rushed off after Peter and Hana, calling, "Wait up!" Loki half-smiled at his siblings and went back to their house. It was fairly large, able to accommodate many people at once. Too big, maybe, for the four children who now lived there.

Once inside, Loki crossed the kitchen floor to the old wooden desk set up against the wall. He opened a drawer and pulled out a green Deerling-print planner, flipping through it until he found the bookmark. Finding what he was looking for, he sighed and penciled something down in the notebook before putting it back where it belonged. He went back to the door and grabbed his jacket. When he looked presentable enough in the mirror—save for that annoyingly permanent paint mark on his cheek—he opened the door again and called for his siblings.

"I have to go help Mr. Lewis at the store! I'll be back in a few hours. Do you want anything?" he called. The other kids were chasing each other over the lawn but stopped to listen to their brother.

Pondering for a moment, they eventually had their answers.

"Cake!" Peter exclaimed.

"Cookies!" Hana chirped.

Soini shook his head, indicating he didn't want anything. Loki rolled his eyes, smiling, and said, "Alright, alright. Stay inside until I get back, though, okay? Don't let anyone you don't know in the house, don't break anything, and don't burn anything down either!"

"We know, we know!" Peter said airily, running inside. "Hey Hana, Soini! Let's play Gym Battle! I call being the leader!"

"You're always the leader!" Hana complained, following after him.

"…C-Can I just be a fan…?" Soini asked softly, hugging Loki before hurrying after them.

Rolling his eyes and knowing they would be able to entertain themselves, Loki shut the door and hurried to the main town. Aspertia City had a Pokémon Center and some shops outside of the neighborhood. It was to a favorite shop of Loki's family that he was going to be working this afternoon.

He stopped briefly outside the door that read "Albert's All-Store: For all of your needs!" and went inside, the bell tinkling softly. Loud barking sounded from a back room and Loki found himself attacked by a small tan Pokémon who was happily licking his hands and bouncing around his feet.

An elderly man came out and laughed at the sight. Loki smiled in greeting and bent down to scratch the creature behind its ears. "Lillipup looks well, Mr. Lewis." Loki said as he eventually stood up. Lillipup continued to sniff his shoes as he walked towards the man, who lifted his hand as a greeting.

"She's always happy to see you, Loki…and please, call me Albert." The shopkeeper replied.

Loki nodded. "Okay Albert…what did you need me to do?"

Albert pointed to some boxes set up against the wall. "Shelve those please? My back's bad."

Loki nodded and went over to the boxes, picking them up and opening each. He started to shelve the items, stopping every once in a while to take a peek at the various Pokémon-printed goods. There were all kinds of items like Phanpy-marked rice bags, Swanna planners, Miltank milk, and the colorful pictures always brought a smile to Loki's face.

After about two hours, he was finally finished. He looked around and saw a broom as well, and noticed the various dust and dirt on the floor. Shrugging, he took the broom and swept the dirt up and into the dustpan, adding another hour to his quota. He dumped the dirt in the garbage, went back to Albert, and declared he was finished.

Albert looked around and blinked in surprise. "You swept? You didn't have to…"

The younger boy smiled. "I wanted to, though. No charge."

Albert smiled warmly and opened the register. He counted out 3,000 Poké and dropped the money into a bag, sealing it up. Loki accepted the bag but was about to protest, before Albert lifted his hand for silence.

"It's my pleasure. Oh, and you're welcome to any three things in the store you want. No charge." He grinned.

Loki shook his head firmly. "Sir, no! I can't!"

"Go on, take your pick. Get something nice for your siblings. They're doing well, I assume?" Albert said, dropping a towel on the wooden counter.

"Y-Yes…" Loki sighed, seeing it was useless. He turned away from Albert, who had begun to wipe the counter, and started browsing the shop. He got a cake for a Peter and a package of cookies for Hana, and eventually decided on a plush Pidgeotto toy for Soini. He seemed to love Flying types. He went to the register and noticed Albert was nowhere to be found. He assumed the shopkeeper had gone to the back to get something.

Frowning, he reached into the bag of money and pulled out 1,000 Poké. He put it on the counter and hurried back home.

* * *

When he arrived back, he found his siblings crowded around the kitchen table, reading something. Hana noticed him and looked up, a huge smile on her face.

"Loki look! We got a postcard!" she exclaimed.

Loki frowned and sighed, walking over. He set the bags on the table and leaned over, looking at the card. The print was achingly familiar—a small, cursive handwriting that they knew belonged to their missing father. He read the date on the card; it had been sent in February.

"Two months?" he asked incredulously, "They sent this _two months _ago? What town were they sending it from, Lacunosa?"

Soini looked at him worriedly. "I think the post just got held up…it _was _very cold last month…"

Loki huffed. Soini was missing the point but he ignored it. He looked around at his siblings, who were watching him a bit sadly. He sighed and gestured to the bags on the table, forcing a smile.

"Oh yeah…I got everyone something from the store!" he said, pulling out the cake and cookies. He hid the toy behind his back and stepped away a bit, letting them examine their gifts.

"Don't eat too many, though." Loki warned. He turned to Soini, still hiding the toy.

Soini looked at him expectantly and Loki presented him with the toy, his smile widening when he saw the ecstatic smile bloom on his littlest brother's face. Soini grabbed the plushie and hugged it close, exclaiming, "Thank you, Loki! Thank you thank you!"

"No problem. But thank Mr. Albert at the store, not me." Loki told them.

Soini smiled and sat down on the floor, hugging and playing with his new toy while Hana and Peter had a contest to see how many cookies they could eat—something Loki quickly stopped.

When all of his siblings were entertained, the oldest rubbed his eyes and stretched, going over to the postcard on the table. It had a Milotic on it and the message read:

_Hei guys! How are you? We miss you a lot! We're in Opelucid City right now, but we miss you so much! Loki, how are you doing? We're very proud of you for taking care of your siblings! Hana, stay out of trouble! Soini, be a good boy. And Peter…please be nice to your brother! (That goes for you too, Loki.) We'll try to be home soon guys! Be good!_

_Love, _

_Papa, Berwald, and everyone else._

Loki frowned and picked the card up, taking it over to the desk. He opened one of the old drawers, revealing a disorderly pile of postcards very similar to the one clutched in his hand. He dropped it on top of the pile and stared down at the new card, miffed. All letters of love and news of what was happening and assurance that they would be home soon.

"Not likely." Loki huffed.

He turned back to his siblings and frowned, wishing he could play with them as well. But no, no he was the responsible kid now. He had to work, had to clean, and had to take care of his family while their parents were gone. He didn't have time to play anymore.

Sighing, he retired to his room upstairs. He had pinned up a large wall map of Unova, along with pictures of places all over the region. Places he had wanted to visit hung there, gathering dust and losing their shine. There were so many things he wanted to do; he wanted to go out and _meet _the world, not stare at pictures of it! But he had to stay and care for his siblings. Not that he minded too much, but still.

"Who am I kidding?" he asked no one, "I can't leave Aspertia…Peter, Hana, and Soini need me."

He turned and glared at himself in the mirror, shedding his jacket.

"You don't even have a Pokémon."

Sighing again, he decided to turn in for the night. Disheartened, he lay down on his bed and, in the silence of the room, eventually went to sleep.


	3. Starting Off

When the sun rose the next morning, it found Loki alone in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. He was making a family favorite: pancakes and assorted berries. His siblings, as full of energy as ever, had already rushed outside to get involved in another one of Peter's Gym battle games.

The food smelled great, and for once he hadn't burned it. Satisfied, Loki divided the food onto four plates, turned off the stove, and went to collect his siblings. Just as he was about to open the door and call them, Soini rushed in, looking excited.

"Loki! Loki! Hana and Peter found a man!" he exclaimed.

"…What."

"A man! We went up to Mr. Albert's store to thank him and he was playing with Lillipup! Come on, come see!" Soini chirped, pulling on his arm. Loki smiled when he saw he was also carrying his new toy and nodded reluctantly.

"Oh…okay. But if breakfast gets cold because of this, I'm not going to heat it up again." Loki warned.

He let himself be tugged along up the path to Albert's shop, Soini rushing forward every couple of seconds to hurry them along. Once the two finally reached the shop, the small bell tinkling to announce their arrival, they were greeted by a surprising sight.

A tall brunette man was chatting happily with Albert and Peter. However, he was constantly being distracted by all of the early morning female shoppers who came in, and rushed over to flirt with them.

"Ladies! Good morning! You look so beautiful today~" the man chirped.

Confused, Loki hurried over to Hana and Peter, concerned. Albert waved and called the visitor's attention back to them. The man turned to say hello but caught sight of another woman at the back of the store, and practically floated across the shop to say hello.

Loki stared and looked at Albert, seeking help. The shopowner simply smiled and shook his head, going back to wiping the counter. Peter and Hana bounded over to the man and started tugging on his hands, dragging him back to talk.

The brunette let himself be pulled and winked at the blushing shopper. "Ciao, bella! We'll have-a lot of fun one-a day, yeah?" he called.

Albert put his rag down and cleared his throat. Peter and Hana let go of his hands and stood around impatiently, waiting for the visitor to speak. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, he finally looked at the children and smiled.

"Ah, so these-a are them?" he asked.

Albert nodded and pointed to each kid in turn. "Hana, Soini, Peter, and the oldest, Loki."

The kids looked confused so Albert hastened to explain. "This is Professor Romulus, the Pokémon Professor."

The kids made mixed sounds of "Really? Wow!" and Romulus chuckled, sweeping a hand through his hair.

"Si! A Pokémon professor! I was-a looking for Tino and-a Berwald, but your friend-a here says they're absent…?" he asked.

Loki's eyes darkened and a hush fell over the kids. Peter, noticing the awkward silence, cleared his throat and nodded slowly.

"Yeah. They've been gone a while. They were in Opelucid two months ago, but…" he trailed off. Romulus furrowed his brow with a slight frowned and eventually shook his head.

He shrugged, smiled again, and said, "Oh no-a matter! I can always ask-a you!"

"Ask us what?" Soini piped up.

Romulus crouched down to their level and looked in each of their eyes seriously. Albert's Lillipup appeared and trotted over to Hana, licking her hand. Romulus grinned and made a comment.

"Pokémon seem-a to like you…and you-a seem to like-a Pokémon." He added, noticing Soini's toy. "But I have a proposition. I'm-a much older now, not-a fit to travel very far. I came-a down to ask-a your parents to do something…but you might-a be even better suited!"

"Suited for what?" Loki demanded.

"A favor." Romulus said. He reached into his bag and pulled out a few things: a small notepad-looking device and a shrunken Poké ball. He clicked the button, letting the ball go back to its usual size and open. A Minccino popped out and chirped, "Cino!"

"I want-a you to go on a journey. In-a order to move on in our-a research of Pokémon, we must-a learn all we can about them…this device-a here is a—"

"A PokéDex!" Loki exclaimed, excited, "Papa and all of our uncles filled up theirs in Sinnoh!"

Romulus blinked and laughed. "Oh, did they? I myself-a went on a journey once. A long-a time ago through Hoenn. I would-a love to go on another, but-a there are too many pretty girls around to always-a be on the move!" he laughed, winking at another shopped.

The kids smiled and Peter exclaimed, "I'm going to be a Gym leader! Going on a journey will be the quickest way of getting there!"

Hana jumped up, never one to be outshone by her brother. "Well I'm going to be a boss at the Nimbasa Subway Station! When I'm strong enough, I'll take on Ingo and Emmet _and _beat them!"

Romulus grinned and looked at Loki and Soini, who had stayed quiet.

"And-a you? Do you have-a a dream?" the Professor asked.

Soini looked at him and shook his head. "I don't have a dream yet…"

Loki's brow furrowed and he said quietly, "I'm going to be a champion."

Romulus smiled and pat Soini on the head, addressing all of them.

"You can-a realize—or-a find—your dreams at-a the side of your Pokémon. Will-a you go on this-a journey?" he asked.

Peter clenched his fist, fire dancing from behind his sky blue eyes. "I will!"

"I will!" Hana exclaimed, jumping up and causing her Growlithe bandana-hat tied to her head to bounce.

"I will…" Loki said slowly.

Soini remained silent. When everyone looked at him, he bit his lip and murmured, "W-What…what if they come back while we're gone…? Shouldn't we wait for them…?"

Loki bit his tongue to keep from making a sharp remark. Albert smiled gently and went over to Soini. He rested a withered hand on the boy's head, causing Soini to look up.

"If they come back, I'll tell them where you went. The biggest adventure of my life was my journey, and you kids should experience that while you can. Soini, I've known you and your siblings since you were babies and I know you're all going to do great things one day. Start now, and find your dreams." He said seriously.

Soini turned this over in his mind, feeling his family's expectant eyes on him. Eventually, he smiled.

"Alright…I'll go too!" he declared. The others cheered and attracted the attention of Romulus, who had been "helping" someone with her bags. Loki covered Soini's eyes and Hana's were shielded by Peter. Albert raised his brow as the professor came over, grinning.

"Aspertia beauties…nowhere-a else in Unova!" he chimed, grabbing his things. "Come-a meet me in-a my lab just-a outside of town. I'll give-a you your Pokémon there. Until-a then, ciao!" he smiled and headed out the door, going back to his lab.

When he was gone, the kids had to stop and process what just happened. Peter was the first to cheer and hop around, before he was joined by Hana and Soini.

"We're going on a journey! We're going on a journey!" the chanted.

Loki smiled but didn't join in. He was thinking back to the map in his room. Those places…he was going to visit them! Finally!

"We gotta go pack! Beat you home!" Peter exclaimed, running out the door. Hana was right on his tail but Soini dawdled a while, waiting for Loki.

"Stop by before you leave." Albert smiled, "I want to give you something."

Loki nodded and waved goodbye before he took Soini's hand, leading him home.

* * *

The house was abuzz with activity as the kids bustled about, packing. Four plates of hastily eaten breakfast were set in the sink and washed by Loki, who had to look down every few minutes to make sure his siblings weren't coming to push him out of the way. When the dishes were done and put away, he went to check on his siblings.

He caught Hana trying to shove her entire collection of bandanas into her bag. He made her choose two and went off to make sure Peter and Soini were doing alright. Peter was happily throwing some spare clothes into his backpack and Soini was flipping through some field guides from their uncle. No chaos here.

Loki went to his own room and opened the desk. He pulled out a disused sketchbook and stowed it in his bag, then started selecting his clothes. Not too heavy and not too cold. He decided on a green shirt with the outline of a white Poké ball on it and zipped up his bag. He went back to the kitchen and found his siblings standing around, waiting for him.

"Come on, Loki!" Peter admonished, "You're so slow!"

"Well sor-ry." Loki said, "Can't exactly watch you three and pack quickly. Besides, Albert wants to give us something."

As usual, Hana and Peter were the first out of the door, racing and chasing each other through Aspertia for the last time in a long time. Soini and Loki stayed behind, Loki locking the door and closing all of the windows.

Soini kept glancing back at the now dark, quiet house and couldn't help a slight sniffle. Loki pat his shoulder reassuringly and went back to Albert's shop.

* * *

After many goodbyes and having Albert stuff their bags with food, supplies, and a set of running shoes each, the kids were finally off.

"What Pokémon do you want, Hana?" Peter asked as they went down the path to Romulus' lab.

"A fire-type! Or a water-type! I don't know yet!" Hana laughed, "How about you?"

"Water-type for sure! I'm going to be a Gym leader and own the toughest Water gym in all of Unova!" Peter exclaimed, clenching his fist. Loki laughed at his ferocity and glanced at Soini, who was trailing behind.

He was about to call back to him when Hana shouted, "I can see it! I can see it!"

The kids broke into a run, even Soini, and raced each other to get to the door first. Peter went in first, followed by Loki, Hana, and Soini.

Romulus looked up at the commotion and waved, returning his attention to the boy he was talking to.

"Take good care of it, Pochi." He warned, passing a Poké ball and a Dex to the boy. "Pochi" nodded, giving a studying glance at the siblings as he passed by them and left the lab.

Romulus smiled a bit sheepishly and turned to the others. "I'd-a forgotten I promised a Pokémon and a PokéDex-a to him as well. I still-a have enough for you guys. Come-a here."

He led them over to a table with three Poké Balls on it. He picked them up and released the Pokémon inside. One by one they appeared: a Cyndaquil, a Mudkip, and a Snivy.

"I received Cyndaquil and-a Mudkip from my friends-a in Johto and Hoenn. Take-a your pick." Romulus smiled.

He looked at Soini, who looked crestfallen over the fact there weren't enough for him. Romulus beckoned Soini to him and pointed to a back room.

"I didn't forget-a about you!" he said. He led Soini to the room and Loki, who had been observing, turned back to the Pokémon.

Peter chose the Mudkip and was playing with it while Hana eventually decided on the Cyndaquil. Its back flared happily as the two rolled around together and Loki's eyes fell on the last Pokémon. Snivy's eyes were studying him suspiciously, and backed away a little when the boy knelt down and reached out to pet it.

After a moment, the Grass-type let Loki pet it on the head. The boy sighed and smiled, "Guess we're partners now, huh." Snivy nodded.

Loki smiled and grabbed its Poké ball. "Well okay then. Snivy, we're going straight to the Pokémon league and walking out as champions!"

Hana and Peter were reciting their own dreams to Cyndaquil and Mudkip, who seemed all for it.

They looked around when they heard Romulus come back with Soini, who was balancing a small Pokémon egg. It was sky blue and had a fluffy cloud design around the base, and Soini looked ecstatic.

"Sounds-a like you're all-a ready. Who did-a you pick?" Romulus smiled.

"Cyndaquil!" Hana chirped, picking up the Fire-type and hugging it.

"Mudkip! We're going to be the best team ever!" Sealand shouted, Mudkip running excited circles around his feet.

"I chose Snivy." Loki said softly.

"Soini, what kind of egg is that?" Hana asked as Soini put the egg in his bag.

"I don't know yet." He replied, sealing the bag

"When it-a hatches, you will." Romulus said sagely. He reached into his lab coat and pulled four PokéDexes out. He passed them to each of the kids and started to explain.

"Lately we've-a been able to show a Pokemon's stats-a and abilities. We believe-a this will help us learn-a more. All-a you have to do is point it at-a Pokémon and information will-a record. Try it."

Excited, the kids pushed the power buttons on the Dexes and pointed them at their Pokémon.

"Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon—"

"Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon—"

"Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon—"

"…has a timid nature—"

"…on its head senses the flow of—"

"…uses vines more efficiently than—"

The kids exclaimed in awe, studying the Pokémon on the Dex screens. The levels and attacks they knew appeared as well, to the joy of the kids.

"Awesome!" Peter exclaimed. Loki nodded in satisfaction, pocketing his Dex.

"For-a their privacy, the PokéDex doesn't pick-a up the moves and levels of other Trainer-owned Pokémon. That-a also prevents cheating in battles and-a events. Now, take-a some Poké balls and an X-Transceiver-a each. You can make-a video calls anywhere in Unova." Romulus said, handing out the balls and Transceivers.

"Call me when-a you want me to look at-a your PokéDexes or you have a question. Oh, and when you get-a to Virbank say-a hello to my grandsons for me!" Romulus winked.

"Your grandsons?" Peter echoed, "How'll we know it's them?"

Romulus chuckled. "You'll-a know. The first Gym is in Floccessy town. Travel down-a this road for about a day and-a you'll get there."

The kids nodded and headed out, waving as Romulus shouted good luck. An air of confidence around them, the kids made it out a little ways before someone else walked up the road towards them.

Hana stepped forward and called, "Hej there! You're Pochi, right?"

Pochi didn't call back but soon slowed to a stop in front of them. The kids looked at each other, unsure, before Pochi pointed at Hana.

"Battle me." He said, retracting his hand to pull out a Poké ball.

Hana blinked. "What?

"Battle me." Pochi repeated. He threw the Poké ball and a Squirtle popped out, landing on the ground with a loud, "Squirt! Squirtle!"

Peter pushed Hana towards him, saying, "Go Hana! Your first Pokémon battle!"

Hana blinked and nodded, pulling out her own Poké ball. She tossed it and Cyndaquil appeared, looking determined.

Pochi moved first. "Squirtle, Tackle!"

Squirtle rushed forward to meet Cyndaquil and Hana shouted, "Dodge it Cyndaquil! Use Tackle!"

Cyndaquil managed to get away just before Squirtle collided. Then, it turned towards its attacker and threw the whole of its weight at it. Squirtle rolled a little ways and Pochi growled, "Again! Tackle!"

Spurred on, Squirtle tackled Cyndaquil viciously, sending the Fire-type skidding back. Surprised, Cyndaquil sat stunned for a moment before Hana shouted, "Keep trying! Use Leer!"

Cyndaquil shook its head and glared at Squirtle, causing the Water-type to shiver. Pochi growled and shouted, "Use Tail Whip!"

Squirtle rushed towards Cyndaquil and spun around, whacking the fire mouse on the nose with its curly tail. Cyndaquil stumbled back and the two trainers shouted, "Tackle!"

The Pokémon collided, knocking each other backwards and onto the dirt, where they lay unmoving.

"Get up! Squirtle, Tackle!" Pochi shouted.

"Come on, Cyndaquil! Get up!" Hana urged.

Squirtle struggled to rise and eventually did. Tired, it started lurching forward, towards Cyndaquil; the Fire-type had yet to get up. Hana glanced at Cyndaquil and she stopped urging it on, staying quiet and letting Squirtle come. Pochi was watching intently and Squirtle stopped, and he was about to shout the order…

"Tackle!" came the command.

In a sudden storm of dust, Loki lost sight of the Pokémon for a moment and he blinked, surprised. Pochi sounded like a girl just then—

The dust cleared and Squirtle was seen sprawled out on the ground, knocked out. Cyndaquil was standing over it, breathing heavily, and Hana cheered. Loki suddenly realized what happened and shouted his congratulations.

Smiling proudly, he watched Pochi call back his Pokémon and mutter something to it. Then, he pocketed the ball and turned to leave.

Hana looked up from hugging the life out of Cyndaquil and shouted after him. "Hey wait! That was a great battle!"

Pochi huffed and looked back at her. "Great for _you, _maybe. Just wait; next time we battle I won't lose."

Taken aback, Hana simply watched him leave before she was swamped by hugs from her brothers.

"That was awesome!" Peter exclaimed, "But I'll do even better the first time _I _battle!"

"Sure you will." Loki grinned, "Who's the oldest again? _I'll _do best."

"No you won't!" Peter growled.

"Oh yes I will."

"Won't!"

"Will!"

"Fine! Peter exclaimed, "Let's battle right now!"

Loki huffed and made to get his Pokémon out before Soini stepped in quietly.

"Um…how about tomorrow? W-We still need to go to Floccesy town…" he said softly.

Loki glanced at him and nodded, stepping back. "That sounds like a good idea. Peter, we'll battle tomorrow. Let's try to travel today."

Peter looked disappointed but nodded, turning and taking the lead. Hana smiled and followed along beside him, while Loki stayed at the very back to make sure Soini didn't fall behind. He was carrying his backpack gingerly, still careful of the egg inside it.

Looking ahead, Loki could see the pathway they were on curving away into the trees. Behind them, he could see the entrance to Aspertia disappearing as well. He still couldn't believe they were leaving it behind after spending their whole lives there.

Smiling thoughtfully, Loki couldn't help but wonder if and when they would return.


End file.
